The International Council of Monuments and Sites
(ICOMOS)'s 15th general assembly opened in Xi'an, Shaanxi
Province, on Monday morning. Over 1,000 experts from 85
countries and representatives from international organizations took
part in the meeting focusing on conservation of heritage sites
worldwide.
On the same day, a symposium themed "Monuments and
Sites in Their Setting?-- Conserving Cultural Heritage in
Changing Townscapes and Landscapes" began to address problems
confronting many countries in their efforts to conserve heritage
sites and their environments amidst modernization.
"There are many reasons that I believe the event
will significantly stimulate China's cultural heritage protection,
and that China's practice of heritage
preservation will also inspire our counterparts around the
world," Zhang Bai, president of the Chinese ICOMOS committee,
said.
"Xi'an,?an old imperial city, reflects both
the glory of the past and the dynamic vigor of today's modern
China," said Michael Petzet, ICOMOS president, in his opening
presentation.
Zhang Siqing, Vice Chairman of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the
opening ceremony and, in a meeting with Petzet, said "the Chinese
government has placed a priority on cultural heritage
protection."
"While dedicating itself to improving the living
standards of the people and economic development, the
government?has continued to improve efforts in the area of
protection as it also tries to balance that with economic
development," Zhang told delegates.
China has more than 400,000 heritage sites, of
which 7,000 have been registered as cultural heritage protection
sites. So far, 1,271 cultural heritage sites have been placed on
the national protection list, nearly 7,000 under provincial
protection, and more than 60,000 under city or county
protection.
Sun
Jiazheng, culture minister, also spoke at the opening ceremony,
after which delegates from partner organizations including UNESCO,
the International Center for Conservation in Rome, International
Council of Museums, Getty Foundation and World Monuments Fund made
presentations.
Founded in Warsaw, Poland in 1965, the ICOMOS
is an organization of professionals throughout the world dedicated
to the conservation of historic monuments and sites. It is the only
international non-governmental architectural and archeological
heritage conservation organization of its kind.
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Wang Zhiyong,
October 18, 2005)
